Takeoffs & Landings
by KnowMyNameNotMyStory
Summary: When you go on a trip, are you going home, going for business, or going for a quick getaway? Even if it's just when you're up in the air, you're great escape might just be sitting right next to you.
1. When Will I See You Again?

**A/N: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

**Hi, I'm an A&A reader, not a writer. I write a bunch of Victorious fics though if you watched that show. I also read and wrote for SIU, but mainly I write for Victorious. Anyway, I decided to give Austin & Ally a shot because it's a great show... for the most part. Auslly is just adorable. Anyway, this is a four-shot. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**FALL**_

"Good evening, this is the captain speaking. As you can see the weather is slightly grey so we will be flying slower than usual. But rest assured we're in good hands. We'll be taking off momentarily. Thank you for choosing Coastal Airlines."

He heard that almost every other week of his life. He practically lived in the air. Austin Moon, Hollywood's hottest music producer, had clients spread across America. It was his job to visit them in their cities to make sure his clients were still satisfied with his team. He couldn't complain, though. Austin was an only child. His parents lived in their hometown running a successful Fortune 500 company. He wasn't married and didn't have kids. He did have a girlfriend, but she was too busy with her budding modeling career to take notice of him lately. And his Hollywood loft was too large of a place to not be lonely. At least when he had trips, there was always something to do. Nothing really to look forward to, but at least he was distracted. Distracted enough to not realize how empty his life really was, how even in his plane rides, he would sit alone, showing him how empty his life was.

"Excuse me. Hi, is this seat taken?" A petite brunette standing before him asked.

"Uh, no, by all means, sit." He said. This was a first in a long time. He wasn't complaining, however. He was just surprised to have someone sit next to him. Austin didn't take up much space. He didn't utilize his time in the plane to do more work. He was a workaholic, yes, but he wasn't crazy. He usually drowned out in music and caught up with some sleep. And when she found time, he would video chat with his girlfriend.

The brunette sat next to him, considerate and somewhat calm. She seemed anxious, though she didn't tense up anywhere else but her eyes.

"This is your captain speaking, for your safety the seatbelt sign will be turned on until a few minutes after takeoff. Since it's windy, there will be heavy turbulence."

That's when she showed it. Her entire body tensed. Austin could see from the corner of his eyes that she probably wasn't used to it. Even sitting in business/first class with very comfy seats, she was scared. They put their seat belts on and waited for takeoff. He could hear her taking deep breaths and closed her eyes. She seemed like a nice girl, he thought to himself, and not stuck up like a lot of people in first class. So he decided to talk to her.

"Miss?"

"Yes?" she said getting snapped out of her focus.

"Have you ever heard of that science experiment in Australia a few years ago? It was about shoes."

"No, I can't say I have," she slightly loosened up. She was a sucker for intellectual conversations, so she paid attention to him.

"Well in Australia they do a lot of pioneering science and one of the inventions was AI shoes, or 'shoes with brains'. A buddy of mine got a pair. They were great for him, you see he was a bit of a partygoer, so when he couldn't remember the way home or something, his shoes would walk him home. But they were too smart - they wanted more out of 'life'. So one day the shoes walked out in the middle of the night and stole his car. They wanted to see the world. They couldn't see to drive, though, and crashed into a river. Sadly, they 'died'. My friend was really torn up about it, you see, and he went to see this priest about it, the priest told him that they went to heaven - do you know why? "

"Uhh… why?" she was intrigued yet utterly confused.

"Because, as it turns out, shoes have soles," he said non-chalantly.

The girl laughed a bit loudly earning stares from nearby passengers.

"Oops, sorry," she told them and turned back to him. When they made eye contact the two bursts into laughter, not caring if people were staring again.

"That was such a horrible joke, no offense," she tried calming herself.

"Oh believe me, I know," Austin chuckled.

"What are you, a comedian?" she giggled.

"No," he shrugged, "just wanted to find a way to distract you".

"Huh?" she asked. He was about to answer when the speaker turned on.

"Thank you for your cooperation, the seatbelt sign will turn off now."

She realized that he had distracted her from the takeoff. She looked over at him and he smiled, simply shrugging implying to her that 'it was nothing'.

"Thanks," she said.

"I remember the first time I rode a plane. It was during a snowstorm. Now that wasn't pretty turbulence. But you get used to it."

"Well after three years of flying, you'd think I'd be used to it by now," she admitted.

"Wait, so you're saying you've been flying for three years and you're still scared?"

"Something like that," she said. "Are you going to laugh now?" fear was obvious in her tone.

"No," he earnestly said. "Everyone's different."

This certainly caught her off guard. How can he be caring and considerate when they've only known each other all of fifteen minutes?

"So, are you flying for business?" he changed the subject slightly.

"For the most part, yes. What about you?"

"Always. I've been flying for nearly eight years. It's part of my job."

"Wow. So you're always here like every month?"

"Try every other week," he told her.

"What?!"

"Don't worry, I'm not a secret agent or anything," he chuckled at her expression. "I'm a music producer."

"Really?" she was impressed. "Do you have a musical background?"

"Yeah, well I used to sing in a band, but then we broke up and as much as I'd love to go solo, that's not me. So I figured since I knew a lot about music, might as well make it my career."

"Oh I see," she nodded.

"What about you? Play any music?"

"Just piano but really for fun."

"So what do you travel for?"

"I'm a journalist. I live in the east coast and since I became head writer, I go back and forth to both our headquarters in the west and east."

"Well, well, well Miss Wall Street," he smirked.

"I'm not _that_ great. I write for the entertainment and lifestyle section for both publications."

"Impressive," he nodded.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"So, do you ever fly for anything besides business?"

"Besides going back home from the business trip? Nope."

"Busy?"

"You have no idea."

"Well you're preaching to the choir. Same here."

"When was the last time you ever had a chance to relax?"

"In all honesty, I have no idea. I've just been so consumed with work that I forget to take a break."

"Me too. I think the last time I ever took a real break was in college. But even then I had an internship."

"Yeah, college seems about right for me too," he chuckled.

All too soon, they were both sucked back to reality when his phone rang and her palm pilot buzzed.

"Ugh, work," they both said at the same time. They chuckled a bit before going on their devices.

When the pilot announced their landing, she tried her best to keep her composure when she put her seat belt on while continued to write an email on her palm pilot. He sort of sensed it and placed a reassuring hand on her wrist, signaling to her that he was right beside her. She beamed at the contact as they stayed glued to their phones.

By the time they reached the terminal and Austin ended his call, he realized she had left and that he never caught the woman's name. A part of him shrugged it off, but deep down, he hoped to see her again.

"Maybe next time," he told himself and walked off.

* * *

*Ring ring*

*Ring ring*

*Ring r-*

"What-up my brotha?!"

"Austin! What-up?!"

"Hey Dez!"

"Where are you man?"

"San Francisco. I'm waiting for my flight to JFK."

"You going to visit big daddy Dez any time soon?"

"Sorry, bro. Duty calls. I'll be in the east coast for an album release party but not Florida."

"And to think that after you quit the music business, your next job makes you travel more than when you were the talent."

"I'm sorry, Dez. But hey, you're busy too you know. With your girl and everything."

"Yeah, I know. I just miss my best friend that's all."

"Me too, bro."

"So how's the job anyhow?"

"It's going great man. It seems like a good year for everyone. I've got new clients and some of my old clients are ready to spread their wings."

"Man you need to slow down."

"What do you mean? I'm fine with all this work." Austin asked as he hailed a cab and put his things in the trunk.

"That's the problem. You keep yourself busy and you say you can handle yourself, but even independent people need friends."

"Uh, and what are you?"

"Yeah that doesn't count. The last time I saw you was two years ago. And hey, I thought we were brothers," he joked.

"Yeah, brothers from another mother, you know it!"

"But seriously dude, every time I talk to you it's about the job. When was the last time you took a breather? No, when was the last time you had an actual conversation with a person outside of your career? And if you say two years ago, I'm going to kick your ass."

"Au contraire my redheaded friend. I actually had a conversation this week."

"Really? With who? The taxi driver?"

"Very funny, Dez."

"Ok, then who?"

"A passenger on my flight here."

"Was it an actual conversation or like 'do you want a bag of pretzels'?"

"Actual. It lasted the entire trip. Well a good amount of it. Then we both got caught up in phone calls and emails. But I'd say we talked for a good hour."

"Wow, one hour with another actual human being. I'm impressed. Did you initiate the conversation?"

"Sort of. We talked because I had the only empty seat in first class."

"All right. So did this guy try to throw his little business spiel at you?"

"One, no. We didn't talk about business other than tell each other what we did. And two, not 'he', it's 'she'."

"Oh, so it's a girrrrl?"

"Dez, no. I didn't even think of her in that way. It was just a friendly conversation between two human beings. Why are you always jumping my gun with every person I talk to, especially girls? I have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Because, we're not in college any more, and you barely have time for yourself. You used to be girl crazy back in the day. I'm surprised I've got the steady girlfriend right now and you're content with letting your so called 'girlfriend' go weeks in a different city without talking to you."

"Well music is my first priority, man. And what Cassidy and I have is trust."

"Oh puh-lease. Says Mr. Suave. Ok I admit, you were a man whore back then, but-"

"Man whore?"

"Yes. A man that's a whore. That's you, Austin. You had a new girl every week sophomore year of college."

"Whatever man, I'm not a man whore anymore. Remember Cassidy?"

"Yes I do. That was my second point. Right after graduation we hit the Sigma party and you were wasted beyond your years but you said that you wanted to grow up and get serious. Which is why when you met Cassidy, things changed. You two have been dating almost as long as all the girls you've dated combined. And now you're a better person."

"Ignoring the beginning… But really, man?"

"'Course! You're ready for love. So stop saying you're too busy for it. Love doesn't have an appointment. It happens when it wants to happen."

"Dude, I have a girlfriend!"

"Right. We'll see about that."

"Dez…"

"I'm just saying you could do better man."

"I get it, you don't like her. But she's still my girlfriend."

"Fine, fine. Anyway, back to your lady friend."

"She's not my lady friend. She's not even a friend, I think."

"Not friends? Oh wait, were you two arguing? That's why you don't like her!"

"No, we weren't arguing, it was a really chill conversation, probably something both of us needed in a long time. But I think it was just two strangers on a plane having a nice conversation. That's all."

"Oh well that's boring… anyways, I got to go. Dinner with family tonight."

"Tell your parents I say hi, buddy."

"Sure thing, bro. Take care of yourself!"

"Bye!"

*click*

"Oh man, what am I going to do with him?" Austin chuckled to himself.

After handing over his ticket and boarding on his flight back home, all Austin wanted to do was drown out in music and let his eyes flutter shut. There was nothing else that was important to him than a peaceful sleep. Except…

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

Austin looked up, about to curse at the person who was keeping him from his slumber, when he met eyes with her.

"Hey!" they both exclaim.

"It's you again," he smiled.

"It's me, yep," she matched his smile.

They stayed there, awkward air passing.

"Please. Sit," he gestured at the seat next to him.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"So, going home?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Nope. Just another business trip."

"Aw," she fake pouted.

"Told you, I barely live in my house. Which makes me wonder why I have a house and not an apartment or condo."

"I knew I'd be traveling a lot so I sold my house and rented an apartment too just a year ago."

"Sounds like a good idea, if I ever have the time to hire a real estate agent and if I do move, find a good time to move."

"So, where have you been aside from home?"

"Pretty much every state but in the Midwest, and a few northern states from the West."

"Wow, that's like three quarters of America," she was impressed.

"Oh crap, you're right, huh?" he realized.

"And how long have you been traveling?"

"Well, my dad was in the military, so we lived in the big military towns. And I live in the West Coast. From my job alone, I probably covered almost 20 more states."

"Well that's… Wow."

"What about you?" he put her in the hot seat.

"Uh, well I lived in the same place all my life. Then when I went off to college, it was out of state. After I got my job, I've only been to the major metropolitan cities because of it. So like, barely 5 states if anything. But I'm fine with that since I hate flying and all," she giggled, earning a smile from him.

"Well maybe I can fix that," he coyly said.

"Oh yeah?" she grew a pink tint on her cheekbones.

"Yeah," he defended. "I'm a fun guy. You'll love flying with me!"

"Ok," she giggled. "Hey I have a question. Since you've been all over the place, where was your favorite? You've got to have a favorite."

"Yeah, of course I do." He said. He thought about it first. "Well, as cliché as it sounds, I've been to many places, but there really is no place like home."

She stifled a laugh, but couldn't help it.  
"Hey!" he mocked being hurt.

"I'm sorry, it's just so cliché!"

"I know, I know," he laughed as well. "But I have a good reason. I mean, I love where I live, and I love my hometown. They're both my homes. But there's still one place I haven't been to that I'd love to go to some day."

"Really? You've covered almost all of America and just the dozen states you have yet to visit, one of those just happens to be the place?"

"Yep,"

"Wow. Who would have thought."

"Well what about you? Were any of the five states you went to the place?"

"You would think so, since it's a major metropolitan city, but nope. It's the one place I was never assigned to go to."

"Why not just go on your own?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," she said.

They laughed. As their gaiety subsided, she spoke up.

"Chicago."

He looked at her, stunned.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"It was Chicago."

"No, my place is Chicago," she said.

"Wow," they both said.

"Are you serious?"

"Very. Chicago is a major city. But the editor in chief always gets dibs so I can never go there for work," she explained.

"Yeah, well there was this one chance where I wanted to go, but last minute my manager decided to cancel the flight because of the weather. I just never went back there again because the client decided to fly over to us."

"This is just a funny coincidence," she noted.

"It sure is. Jeez. I still can't believe it. Was there like a publication or a restaurant you wanted to go to or something in Chicago?"

"See you would think that, and yeah maybe, but I have a real reason to go."

"Me too. It's a travel spot."

"Me too," she slowly agreed looking at him. He looked at her. This was getting weird.

"What's your reason?" he asked first.

"What's yours?" she played along.

"On three?" he suggested. She nodded.

"One, two, three-"

"Sears Tower," they blurted at the same time.

"Shut up!"

"No way!"

"This just got weirder!"

"Not weird, scary!"

They broke into a fit of laughter, and after being hushed by the stewardess, lulled to a steady giggle.

"We have too much in common."

"And too much opposite."

"We're the perfect match then," she winked.

"Want to get married?" he joked.

"Sure, we'll have it in Chicago," she played along.

"At the sears tower," he announced. "It'll feel like the top of the world, you know, like our little mountain top," he chuckled.

She grew serious.

"Oh my gosh, that's what I think about the tower too! That's why I want to go there!"

"Wow," he laughed. "Another freaky thing we have in common."

"Are you sure we haven't met before?" she speculated.

"Nope, I don't think so. And besides, I would have definitely remembered someone like you," he commented.

"Quirky, dorky, weird, socially awkward… Feel free to stop me," she kidded.

"No keep going," he smirked.

"Jerk!" she hit his arm.

"Wow you're small but mighty," he said rubbing his elbow. She beamed in victory.

"So, your mountain top, huh?" she started the conversation again.

"Yeah," he turned to her. "It's the tallest building in the United States. I mean the rest of the world is amazing too, but if I wanted to go anywhere in the world, I'd want to go there."

"I know what you mean. I'm part Italian and I've got family there. I see beautiful photos from relatives and I bet the place is gorgeous. But I was born here, and there's still beauty in America, we just have to remember that."

"You know, you are absolutely right," he smiled at her.

"Did you know they changed the name to Willis Tower? I like Sears Tower better though."

"Me too. It just has a nicer ring to it," he said.

"I know right! Hey, isn't it ironic that the place where I want to go to so bad is the tallest point in America, yet I'm afraid of flying?" she giggled.

"Huh, didn't think about that," he chuckled. Then he thought for a moment before speaking up, "Well, maybe when you reach the top, you'd have conquered your fear. Then you won't be afraid to fly anymore."

"Maybe," she said, a bit speechless from his response. He flashed a lopsided grin at her, wondering why she was daydreaming.

"Hello? Are you there?"

Finally she was snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.

"Attention passengers, we will be landing shortly. The seatbelt sign will turn on momentarily."

"So," he started while putting his seatbelt on, "Will I ever know your name?"

It was a long shot, since they felt pretty comfortable these two instances not exchanging names.

She looked at him, and slightly smiled, thinking about the same thing.

"How about… if we see each other a third time, then maybe we can be friends," she offered.

There was something about her smile that kept him interested, wanting to know more about her. He wasn't sure if it was attraction, or just the fact that he was talking to someone who could become a friend, something he hasn't had in a long time. So, he listened to his gut.

"Deal."

"Thank you for flying with Coastal Airlines."

"Wow, would you look at that, distracting me again from the landing," she informed him.

"It's the least I can do since you kept me company on our trip," he said.

She got up and he followed her out to the terminal. When they reached their luggage carts, she turned to him.

"It was nice seeing you again, stranger."

"Likewise."

She flashed him a smile and walked off. He didn't keep his eyes off her until she was out of sight. For the first time, he was excited for his next flight.

* * *

He couldn't stop thinking about her. No matter how hard he tried. It's not like he chose to. Throughout the week, something would remind him of her and voila, she would take over his mind for the rest of the day. One day he was in the hotel elevator and a little boy was scared, so his mother told him to count to ten as a distraction – he thought of her fear of flying. The next day, he met a new client who informed him that they were from Chicago – their mountaintop. By Friday, he thought the lady at the sandwich shop, his taxi driver, and a woman in a coffee shop looked like her and every time an airplane flew overhead he looked up and thought about her. This airplane girl was taking over his thoughts and he couldn't help it.

But as he kept thinking about her, he wondered if it was any different than any of his past relationships. Then again, he was always the one leaving, always trying to find an excuse to leave. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, he thought. They don't even live near each other, so how would it even work out? And this could just be a petty crush. After all, he did have Cassidy, despite the fact that he agreed with Dez (though he'd never let his best friend know) that he doesn't even feel like they're a couple anymore. Maybe, he was just glad to have someone to talk to face-to-face. His best friend was back at home, last time he ever saw him was years ago. Maybe he just needed a friend. And that's what she would be for him. His new 'friend'. That's if she wanted a friend. Especially a friend like him. Someone who was easy to talk to, to get comfortable around, and be an awesome support system. But would his relationship phobias get in the way of a girl-boy friendship? Easy to find, but when it became serious he'd leave.

She wondered if he thought about her as much as she was thinking about him. The scary part was that she hoped he wasn't thinking of her. She had a boyfriend, let's start there. They've been dating for about two years and he had made her feel special. This was a big deal for her. All her life, she was exposed to broken relationships. What made her think that he wasn't just like any other guy? That she'd fall for his charm only to fall all the way down and hit the ground. It was true what she told him, she was scared to fly- because she couldn't risk that fall. Not after risking it before only to have a rough landing, or if it can even be called a landing. More like a crash. Though maybe their arrangement was what she needed. A platonic relationship with a man, nothing more or less. She'd take it. She definitely needed a friend right now.

Back to the boyfriend. Him? Well he made her feel safe. He made her feel like she'd have a soft landing. And right now, she was still falling for it. Though in the back of her mind, she knew that he wasn't the soft landing he takes himself to be for her. She was just blinding herself from his imperfections because

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

"Hello?" she answered her phone.

"Hey girl, how's it going?"

"I'm doing alright, just flying right now. It's about to end soon though. Anyway, what's up? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine actually. I just wanted to say hi."

"Oh, well hi," she laughed at her friend's randomness.

"By the way, when will you be grounded for a weekend? I want to visit you one time."  
"Are you sure you've got time to visit me? Since you know, you're ALWAYS wit your boyfriend," she joked.

"Yeah, yeah. But as much as I love my boyfriend, I need my girlfriend too! So really, when is a good weekend for me to fly over?"

"You don't have to fly over to me, I can fly over to you maybe."

"Girl by the time you have the time to do that I'll be 50. At least if I fly over to you you'll be at home so you can't ditch me for work if you need to."

"That was one time! And you know I said sorry for that already," she still felt guilty for having to work one time when she visited her best friend.

"It's ok, girl. I'm just messing with you. But seriously a nice change of scenery would be nice for me, and I want to visit California again anyway."

"Alright, we'll try to work something out."

_"Attention passengers, flight 306 is now boarding,"_ came from the speaker.

"Alright chica, I have to board now. I'll talk you soon. Bye."

She hurriedly tucked her phone away and made it to the business first class section. What she loved about Coastal Airlines was that business first class did not have assigned seating, and most of the time she was able to have a row to her own. That was until she met that guy. The one whom she had befriended, yet still had no idea what his name was. To say she wasn't hoping to see him was a big fat lie. Which was why she was slightly disappointed that he wasn't on that flight and ended up sitting alone when they announced take off. She sighed to herself and looked out the window, chuckling a bit, telling herself she was silly to even get her hopes up for a man she didn't know, and that she had a loving boyfriend waiting for her at home.

"Hi miss, is this seat taken?"

She froze. She recognized that voice. And she hoped her mind wasn't playing with her. Looking up, she made eye contact with her mystery guy.

"No, by all means, sit," she repeated what he said to her before. He must have known too because he chuckled before occupying the seat next to her.

"Austin Moon," he held his hand out.

She looked at him, a smile undeniably plastered on her face and his matched. She extended her arm to take his hand.

"Ally Dawson."


	2. Airplanes

**A/N: I apologize for the wait. I apologize for a lengthy chapter. And I can't update until Friday because I'm busy. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**_WINTER_**

"So… you think we'll see each other again?" Austin asked when their flight landed.

They spent the entire ride getting to know each other. From their biggest fears to their greatest accomplishments. From their embarrassing childhood days to their awkward first relationships. Austin had no secrets and neither did Ally. It was only the third time they met, but they felt like they've known each other for years.

"I don't doubt we will. But I don't know if it'll be the _exact_ next time," she admitted.

"Oh… Uh…" he mumbled as they stood up.

"Austin, come on. We were lucky to see each other again; there _will_ be a next time," she reassured him. He smiled at that thought. "And I'm sure we'll have something to talk about since time will have past."

"But what if we see each other too soon?" he grew worried.

"Hm…How about next time if we see each other, lets talk about lilacs," she said as they gathered their carry-ons then proceeded to walk out of the terminal.

"Lilacs?" he asked.

"Yeah you know, the flower?"

By that time they reached the lobby.

"No, I know it's a flower, but why?" he thought it was random. Then again, meeting her was the most random and greatest thing ever. He would keep the second part to himself.

"They're my favorite," she smiled and walked off.

* * *

"Is this the gate for flight 107 to San Antonio?" Ally asked the attendant.

"Yes, Ma'am you made it right on time. They're about to take off in five minutes," the attendant said before taking her ticket. "You better run."

"Thanks!" Ally yelled as she ran off.

It was almost wintertime, meaning holiday season, so there would be some random full plane rides. This was one of them. Entering the first class cabin, Ally was shocked to see almost every seat full.

_Great, how am I supposed to find a seat now? _She thought to herself. _This is not my day_. _I woke up late and barely made it to the airport for my flight._

All she wanted to do was make it through a plane ride back home before she exploded. She could sure use a break.

Ally tried not to make much eye contact with anyone in the cabin. She searched frantically for a seat, but to no avail. She was about to give up when she noticed one seat with no back to it. How could she have missed it? Inching closer, she noticed there was something, not someone, on the seat. _That's why I missed it,_ she said to herself. She was ready tap on the passenger's shoulder who was staring outside the window to bad mouth the guy sitting next to the seat for taking up an extra seat for their carry-on's until she realized exactly what it was that was resting on the seat.

Flowers. Not just any flowers – Lilacs. And not just any lilacs; purple lilacs. Her favorite.

"Good morning, Ms. Ally Dawson," a handsome, familiar blonde greeted.

"Austin Moon, what a nice surprise," she couldn't help but smile. "Are these for me?"

"They sure are. A little birdie told me you might like lilacs." He picked up the bunch to allow her to sit, then handed the flowers over. She gladly accepted them, took in their scent, and closed her eyes in contentment. Austin noticed and couldn't help but see her so at ease.

"Do you know the symbolic meaning of lilacs?" she asked out of the blue.

"I pegged you for a girl who'd know the meanings of flowers, so I looked it up," he chuckled.

"Am I that predictable?" she giggled.

"No, but I can tell you're very smart and observant."

"Well then Mr. Moon, if you know me so well, why do you think I like lilacs?"

"Hm," he pretended to think, rubbing his chin and raising an eyebrow to exaggerate. She found it amusing. "I would say that since the lilac is both youthful and whimsical but at the same time sophisticated and mature, that's totally you. And I know what you're going to ask next, about the color right?"

She nodded, smiling that he was doing well with his guess.

"I could have gotten you white lilacs since it means humility and innocence, hell even pink field ones for kindness, but I got you purple because it's a beautiful color, just like you."

Ally knew she was blushing, she felt it. But she couldn't help it.

"I saw that a lot of the meanings for purple meant first love, real love or something to do with maturity or romance, but I think it also means just being passionate and true. And I think that's what you are. You're passionate about certain things and you are true to yourself. So, how did I do?" he eagerly asked.

"Smart ass," she winked.

* * *

For the next few meetings, Austin and Ally learned more and more about the other. From their childhood adventures, to their least favorite foods. Austin grew very interested in this Ally Dawson. She was different, but in the best way possible. As for Ally, Austin was a new subject. He was definitely not like any person she's ever met, and she was so intrigued by him, always learning something new each time they met. And each time they talked, they'd forget the outside world, their jobs, their relationships, their friends, and anyone else around them. When they talked it was Austin and Ally time. Something they deemed really special. Something they didn't bother to put a label on nor worry about the other people in their lives to care what they thought.

The peculiar yet most comfortable thing, however, was that they never bothered to talk to each other outside of their flights; didn't exchange numbers or any contact information. Because they were so sure they'd see each other eventually, they felt like they had no need to talk outside.

Sure, Austin told his friend Dez about her, and Ally did the same with her best friend, Trish. And when their friends asked about them, it never really bothered them enough to clarify things with each other once they met up again.

**Ally POV**

"So you're saying that you meet this mystery guy almost every time you're flying from coast to coast and you don't even bother to ask where he lives or for his phone number?" Trish asked one night on the phone with Ally.

"We don't need to know more than we know about each other. And his name is Austin, Trish," she reassured her best friend.

**Austin POV**

"So you're telling me that you're having a platonic relationship with a girl 80,000 feet in the air and you don't want to know more about her?" Dez asked his blonde best friend.

"I do know a lot about her. I learn more and more every time I see her. Why do we need to talk even more?" Austin countered.

**Ally POV**

"Are you embarrassed about him to not want to be his friend in the real world?" Trish asked her.

"Real world? He _is_ a real person, Trish."

**Austin POV**

"Are you too scared to know more about her that, even if you say you're only friends, you'll find a reason to run away… again?" Dez asked.

"I'm not running away because she's not my girlfriend. Cassidy is."

**Ally POV**

"Look, Trish, you don't understand our friendship. It's-"

**Austin POV**

"Special, it's random, it's nice."

**Ally POV**

"It's an escape."

**Austin POV**

"Yeah, she's an escape. An escape from the real world. And I'm fine with that."

**Ally POV**

"And I'm fine with that."

No one understood. Trish and Dez never asked more. They knew that this 'friendship' between their best friend and the airplane friend they've yet to meet might be something more, something great. But they left fate in their hands. Much like Austin and Ally left it to fate for them to see each other again.

* * *

It was the weekend after Thanksgiving and yes, Ally needed to fly. It wasn't her fault that she was a great writer, though being awesome came with its price. She was looking forward to a booked plane, rowdy kids, vacationing tourists- the whole she-bang. Which was why she was eternally grateful to see a familiar blonde walking through the gate a few people ahead of her.

"Austin!" she wailed.

He turned around and wondered who was calling him. When he saw his favorite brunette, he beamed with gladness.

"Ally!"

He waited for her to meet up with him and they both walked to the business first class section. After they put their carry-ons away and settled down, he began their always-entertaining conversation.

"So, Ms. Dawson, what are you doing on a flight two days after Thanksgiving? Hm?" he playfully interrogated.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she retorted.

"Um, excuse me. Hi, Austin Moon. I'm a workaholic, remember?" he waved.

"Right. Well I've got work to do also. I need to go to San Francisco for a publishing party."

"Look who's the workaholic now," he smugly crossed his arms and chuckled.

"I guess you're rubbing off on me, then," she crossed her arms as well.

"I hope that's a good thing," he smirked.

"It's a great thing," she winked.

This was the thing with Austin and Ally. They crossed the line between friendly and very friendly, and went back and forth. It wasn't a relationship but it was more than a friendship. It was a flirtationship.

"So how was your thanksgiving? Did your mom make any homemade pumpkin pie?"

"Oh gosh, my mom cannot cook to save her life," Ally snorted.

"What? So she didn't make the dessert? Well what about the stuffing?"

"Nope. My grandma did that," Ally shared.

"Mashed potatoes?"

"Dad."

"Biscuits?"

"My cousin and me."

"Cranberry sauce?"

"In a can."

"Wow, so what did your mom contribute to?"

"She bought a turkey and baked it in the oven."

"Turkey! There we go, the main star of the dinner!"

"It's not exactly rocket science to put meat in an oven," she giggled at his enthusiasm.

"If you think your mom can't cook to save her life, well my mom wouldn't even bother to save herself," he chuckled.

"What, so she didn't make the pumpkin pie either?"

"We had pumpkin pie, but my aunt Sally brought it. I'm more of the apple pie kind of guy."

"Then why were you on my case about the pumpkin pie when you don't even like that?" Ally feigned anger.

"To annoy you, duh!"

"That's horrible!" she giggled.

"Well I also think you're the traditional kind of girl and what's more traditional than pumpkin pie for thanksgiving, aside from the turkey, of course."

"Well I'll give you that, Mr. Moon," she said.

"Did your family get mad when you had to leave right after the holiday?"

"Shocked, yeah. But not mad. I've had this job for 7 years and started flying for 3. They're used to it. It's my boyfriend that's not."

"What, he doesn't know you have to fly for work?"

"He does. He just thinks I'm picking my job over him sometimes but what am I supposed to do? If we get married, I need to keep up with half of the payments. I may be traditional, but I do believe in woman's equality."

"That's good to know," Austin acknowledged. "And I hear you about work and love. It's the same with my girlfriend and I. Cassidy's busy being a model and I'm producing music. She really didn't notice that I left right after the holiday. Nor did she acknowledge that we hadn't seen each other in two months when we saw each other for Thanksgiving at my grandparent's house in the east coast."

"It's all about priorities, I tell you," she said.

"Seriously. And time. And passion."

"Hell yeah, passion. I agree."

"But, nevertheless, Dallas puts up with it and I love him for that."

"Same with Cassidy. I mean, I'd love to hear about her more, but between you and me, I often times really don't mind that she's away," he admitted.

"That's understandable since you're at a point in your career that you need to be focused, right?"

"That," he said, though unsurely, "And… I know this is going to sound horrible, but I just don't feel like we're a couple anymore. Like I love her, but is that romantic?"

"Maybe you two just need some couple time together?" she suggested.

"Maybe."

"Don't give up so easily, Austin."

"It's not like she's trying. I know she'll never cheat. But you're right. We're both at our prime in our careers. I mean I know we can take time off to be together, but I think we're both choosing work because we feel the passion more there."

"Well, there's not much to say about that, Austin."

"I know…"

"But… if you're only holding on for the familiarity, then that's not a good enough reason. Take a break, talk to each other. Break up. Do something, anything."

Austin gawked at Ally. He was beyond stunned.

"What? Is there something in my teeth?" she said as she attempted to pick at her teeth with a nail.

"No, no," He shook his head. "It's just… a slap in the face, you know?"

"Oh."

"No, that's a good thing. No one's ever told me how it is. Well, except for my best friend, but you don't know Cassidy, so I know you're being real and not biased because my best friend hates her."

"Oh God, is she like a horrible girl or something? I wouldn't date a guy my best friend didn't like."

"She's not horrible, per se. But Dez thinks I can do better. What about your best friend?"

"Trish likes Dallas. She thinks he's nice. Like the nicest ever. But she feels like he's too safe."

"Um, isn't that a good thing?" Austin wondered.

"Of course it is. That's what I love about him. That he isn't as crazy just like me. But Trish has this crazy idea that I need someone that is opposite of me in some ways that could make my life more fun."

"So you and Dallas are 100% compatible?"

"More like 98%."

"What's the other 2%?"

"Work."

"That's just one thing?" he was confused.

"The two notches have to do with work. That I work too much and he doesn't really see a point to writing as a career."

"Ouch."

"Well that's not exactly a deal breaker. We're both passionate about different things. It's acceptable."

"What does he do?"

"He works as a sales manager at a myPhone store."

"And that's what he wants?"

"He wants to be a salesman. So he thinks practically. The things I write aren't exactly 'hot money' to him so he doesn't agree to it. I don't care really."

"That's cool that you don't care. But he should at least appreciate it. Maybe you two need to spend some time doing things you both love together so you can both appreciate each other even more."

"He does."

"He appreciates that you've got a steady career. Not your career. There's a difference."

"I guess. But we make it work."

"And I make it work with Cassidy."

"See, we're a lot smarter than we peg ourselves to be," she said.

"Yep!" he agreed.

Finally changing subjects, Austin and Ally talked the entire four hour trip about their favorite foods – Austin's was pancakes and Ally's was pickles – and their plans for the summer, despite that it was just barely getting into winter. Once they touched down to Texas, Austin and Ally reached the terminal, ready to go their separate ways.

"If I don't see you during the holidays, I hope you have a great time," Ally told Austin.

"Why wouldn't I see you?" he wondered.

"Because I don't know if I'll be flying for a while. I think I'm going to take your advice and spend some time with my boyfriend. You should do the same, Mr. Moon."

"I'll think about it, Ms. Dawson," he smiled. "Have a nice holiday!"

* * *

"Miss, why isn't the flight to Akron, Ohio boarding yet? We're supposed to take off in 20 minutes."

"I'm sorry sir, the flight to Akron has been delayed."

"For how long?"

"Not for a few hours. There's a storm in the Midwest that's keeping any flights from departing. We'll keep everyone updated every twenty minutes for their flights, sir."

"Thanks anyways."

Austin rolled his suitcase to a bench near the monitors to see when his flight would pick up.

"Attention passengers. Due to the heavy snowstorm, we regret to inform you that all flights have been cancelled until 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. We are sorry for the inconvenience. The airport will be open for the remainder of the evening for those of you who wish to stay and wait for the next available flight. The attendants have been notified to accept refunds or flight transfers. Thank you and happy holidays."

"Oh this is just perfect!" Austin grunted. He grabbed his suitcase and walked over to the already growing line to switch flights. "Can this night get any worse?" he rolled his eyes and slothed to the end of the line.

The airport was in complete and utter chaos. It was December 23rd; not exactly Christmas eve, but people were still worried they wouldn't be home for Christmas. Nor did they want to spend the eve of the eve of Christmas at the Miami Airport. It wasn't exactly an ideal concept. People were scurrying here and there; lines went for hours. Chaos and confusion erupted when several lines thought they were in line for a flight change with the same attendant behind the desk. Austin was in one of those lines, yet he didn't know just like everyone else. After almost an hour of waiting, it was finally his turn.

"I need to transfer my flight." Two voices said at the same time.

"Austin!"

"Ally!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Last minute gig. What about you? Why aren't you with family?"

"I'm supposed to fly out to them. That's why I'm here."

"Wow, what are the chances?" he chuckled.

"I'm sure chance has been on our side ever since we met," she giggled. "I don't know why I'm still surprised."

"Likewise."

"Ahem," an impatient employee behind the counter cleared their throat. "Listen, I'd hate to break up this little love fest, but would you two like a refund or not?"

"I need a transfer."

"Same here."

"Where to?" the attendant rudely asked.

"Akron Regional Airport."

"And you?" the attendant asked Ally.

"JFK."

After a minute, the attendant handed them their new tickets.

"Thanks!" they both said and walked off.

"So, Akron, Ohio on Christmas Eve. Wow, you really are a workaholic."

"It's what I've been trying to tell you," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but I honestly didn't think you'd work on a Holiday. Even Christmas! Unless you're Jewish."

"I'm not. But I spent Thanksgiving with my family, regardless that I only stayed for a day, and I'm spending New Year's Eve with them. The least they can do is give me Christmas to catch up on work or relax. It's depressing, I know, but I need it."

"Ok Scrooge," she stuck out her tongue.

"I didn't say I hated Christmas," he defended. "I just wanted to relax. Is that too much to ask?"

"So that's what you asked Santa? To relax?"

"Yep. It's the best Christmas gift ever!" he exclaimed.

"And you're family was ok with that?"

"They sure were… Well they all went on vacation so technically I was already going to spend Christmas alone regardless. So why not work through the holiday?"

"Good point," she finally agreed with him.

"What about you? I thought you were going to spend some time with your boyfriend?"

"I was planning to. That's why I'm flying back home to get to him."

"What are you doing in Florida?"

"Visiting some old friends. I used to live here."

"No way, me too. I was visiting my best friend Dez. He's been giving me crap for not seeing him in the past two years."

"Two years? Wow, Trish would kill me if we didn't see each other for that long. And you're from Florida?"

"Yep. Born and raised for a few years before moving to Connecticut. I lived in Miami until I was 7."

"Whoa, me too! Well I guess that explains why we never met since you left before even starting grade school."

"Makes sense. But it's a funny coincidence."

"What coincidence?"

"This. We're always meeting. We're both from Miami. It's meant to be."

"What is?" she asked.

"Us meeting. It's inevitable," he bragged.

"I guess so," she giggled. "So you actually had time to visit family, huh?"

"Like 48 hours of time. But it was worth it."

"Same here. Even though I know that I'm going to get in so much trouble from Dallas for getting stuck here."

Just then, Ally's phone rang. "Speaking of Dallas." She showed Austin her screen.

"Go ahead and take it. I've got to make a call too."

After about ten minutes, Austin came back from taking his phone call to a distraught looking Ally.

"Hey, Ally. Everything alright?"

"Well, I was right. He's mad."

"About the flight? Did you tell him it was cancelled because of the weather?"

"Yeah. But he did warn me that I might get delayed."

"Well if he knew that, why was he upset? Does he not like your friends or anything?"

"No, he loves my friends. Trish was the one who set us up actually. It's just, his extended family is going to be at his parent's house for Christmas and I haven't met them yet."

"Looks like things are getting pretty serious between you two," he pointed.

"Yeah well when you've been together for so long, why not take the next step in your relationship?"

"Meeting the relatives?" he guessed.

"Yeah. They'll be in-laws one day, might as well get used to their crazy habits now."

"You sound so enthusiastic about it," he chuckled.

"I am. But I'm also nervous and a bit stressed. On top of that, he's mad now."

"He's probably nervous too. So just let him cool off until you see him tomorrow. Don't let this flight delay ruin your Christmas," Austin told her.

"Thanks, Austin," she smiled. "So how'd Cassidy take that your flight is delayed too?"

"Oh that wasn't Cassidy that I called, it was my boss. I just wanted to let him know I'd fly in later than I'd expected."

"You haven't called Cassidy yet?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? Cassidy and I broke up," he informed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he assured her. "It was mutual. No hurt, no crying, no anger. It was mature."

"What happened?" she wondered.  
"We fell out of love with each other. I'm not the same college boy she met and she's not the same photographer I fell in love with. We grew up and… grew apart."

"Wow, that was very mature… and sad," she sighed.

"It's okay," Austin chuckled. "Don't be sad about it. I'm not fazed at all. Then again, Dez thinks I'm going back to my old ways. And I really don't think I am."

"Old ways?"

"I'm not really relationship material. Which was why everyone was surprised to see me settle with Cassidy so quick."

"Not relationship material?" she quipped an eyebrow.

"Har har," he stuck out his tongue.

After a comfortable silence, an announcement was made about every airline getting delayed from elsewhere and that no flights were coming in or out for the remainder of the night.

"You know what I noticed?" Austin spoke up.

"What?" Ally questioned.

"I see more planes in the sky more often than I do the moon or stars. I barely notice them unless I'm looking outside my balcony at home at night."

"That's true for me too. Wow, I never thought about that. Don't you wish airplanes were shooting stars, then? That way we could wish for better things," she contently sighed.

"Yeah, I could sure use wishes. Especially tonight. I wish the weather wasn't so bad," he said.

"Well, I guess this Christmas won't be a good one for either of us," Ally said.

Austin shook his head in disagreement. He stood up and face her.

"No, we're not going to let ex girlfriends, angry boyfriends, and ridiculous weather ruin the best holiday in the whole world; well that and National Pancake day."

Ally giggled at his insertion of a holiday for pancakes. This guy really loved his flapjacks.

"But back to my point. Look, we're both here, alone and stranded until morning. This isn't a date, ok? But I'm not about to let a sweet girl like you have a horrible night. Let's make this the best darn Christmas eve's eve we've ever had. Are you with me, Dawson?" he held out his hand, awaiting her response.

She didn't need to think for more than a second before accepting his hand and standing up. "Let's do this!"

"Haagen Dazs?"

"Yeah, ice cream!"

"No, I know what it is," she giggled. "But why are we here?"

"You mean you don't have hot fudge sundaes during Christmas time?"

"No, usually we have eggnog."

"Well you're missing out, Ms. Ally. Because hot fudge sundaes are a great Christmas dessert," Austin informed her.

"I thought you knew me? You know, being traditional and all," she kidded.

"Ok fine, let's have my tradition and share a hot fudge sundae. Then we'll go to a Starbucks and get some eggnog lattes. Deal?"

"Deal," she smiled.

After sharing a hot fudge sundae and grabbing eggnog lattes, the two headed over to a gift shop. Austin claimed that he would go gift shopping for his family literally days before Christmas, always waiting last minute. Since his family was out of town, he guessed he was off the hook, but Ally insisted hey window shop so he could keep some kind of tradition at hand. He liked the idea of doing each other's traditions together to make their night a bit enjoyable. That said, after the gift shop, Austin and Ally walked over to the large synthetic tree in the north terminal. Ally's tradition was to set a plate of cookies and a glass of milk right under the tree on Christmas eve. Even though it was only the 23rd, she knew she wouldn't be able to do that at Dallas' parents' house because they didn't have young children running around. So Austin decided to let her continue that tradition with him.

"Ally, don't you think it's weird to just place cookies and milk under this huge tree in the middle of the Miami International Airport?"

"Tradition's tradition, Austin."

She placed a bag of store bought cookies and a carton of milk right under a nice spot of the tree.

"There. It may not be a plate and a glass, or homemade and fresh, but it's good enough. Thanks for letting me do this," she told him.

"No problem. But this is getting really awkward standing next to cookies and milk under a fake tree. Let's go," he begged.

Ok, fine. I think that's all I really do for Christmas. Well I stay up until midnight but other than that, my list is done. What's next on your list?"

"I do have one more thing, but it might be tricky," he scratched his head. "Wait, I got it!" he announced before quickly grabbing her hand and tugging her somewhere else.

"Austin, where are we going?" she asked as he tried walking faster, basically sprinting.

"You'll see," he exclaimed. They reached the elevator and Austin hit the third floor button.

"We're not supposed to go to the third floor," Ally warned him.

"Yeah but they don't have strong security in this wing. Plus, the workers really don't care here. They just make shipments and deliveries."

"And how do you know this?" she wondered.

"I used to visit Dez all the time, so we spent a lot of time in this airport. I know almost every inch of this place."

"So what's so good about the third floor on this side?"

"This," he said. As if on cue, the elevator dinged and the door opened. The view in front of her was astonishing. It was a glass window that peaked down to the entire airport as well as outside of the building.

"Wow, you can almost see the entire airport, and the main road from here," Ally was bewildered. They took steps closer to the window, both standing and admiring the life going on in the airport and on the outside.

"I live in Hollywood, near the Griffith observatory. The sign is right in my backyard. I like to go on a certain spot on my hill and just look over the city. It's not Chicago, but that was my version of the top of the world."

He looked past the airport and sighed contently at the busy streets.

"Well tonight, this will be our Chicago," she smiled. He nodded in agreement, finally relaxing for the first time that night.

After a while, they went back down to the main floor and settled down on a bench near Ally's gate. It was after midnight, but they still had about 8 hours to kill.

"So listen, I got you something," he said out of the blue.

"You did? But how did you know you'd see me?" she speculated.

"I hoped to see you," he admitted, "but I got this when we were at the gift shop. I had to keep my tradition real, and I wanted to get you something."

"Well you really didn't have to but thanks," she smiled. She took the paper bag from him and opened it. She took out a red leather journal. There was an inscription on the bottom right of the cover.

"Break down the walls," she read.

"I know it's cliché, but it was the best one they had," he defended. "But I kind of like it. It's so you. I know I've been to a lot of places and I've grown a little bit and learned some things about myself each time I go to a different place. I hope that when you find time, you'll explore other places and break down your walls of familiarity. Take a chance and really put yourself out there, otherwise the world won't ever get to meet such an awesome girl like you," he blushed.

"Austin, I should be the one blushing, not you," she giggled. "But thanks. You put so much thought into it. This is my new favorite journal," she gave him a tight embrace. "And you said this wasn't a date," she winked.

"It's not. I just wanted to get you something," he reassured her.

"Well, I got you something too. But in the most friendly, non date kind of way," she stated. "It's not as great as yours but… here."

She placed a pen in his hands.

"A pen."

"Yeah, see it's so lame," she blushed.

"No, no. I could always use another pen. I'm always writing and editing things. It's nice. And hey look; it's from the Pancake house. That's my favorite diner in Florida!"

"Really? I would have never guessed," she joked. "It's also scented."

He sniffed the pen.

"Mm maple syrup! Wow thanks Ally. It's really thoughtful," he gave her a hug this time.

They talked until the sun rose. They talked about their holiday memories, what they wanted to do in the new year, and their biggest dreams. Little by little, they were growing fond of one another, though neither one would admit it to their own selves. Ally was getting a bit drowsy. She had a couple more hours before her flight boarded so Austin offered his shoulder as a pillow. She was too exhausted to argue so she got comfortable next to him. He offered her his sweater as a blanket in addition to his shoulder.

"Are you sure this isn't a date?" she joked while accepting his sweater.

"No, it's just a friendly gesture," he informed her.

"That's true. Thanks. And plus, it's not a date if we don't kiss," she half-kidded.

"Just say the word," he winked.

"Well aren't you mister suave," she muttered as she was slowly falling into her deep slumber.

"No, I'm just a gentleman," he said.

Ally simply smiled and closed her eyes finally escaping to a peaceful sleep.

_It's not a date if we don't kiss._ That was running through his head. Maybe it wasn't a date, but it sure felt like one. And deep down, he wanted it to be one. Moments later, Austin's flight was called. He wanted Ally to rest, but he didn't want to miss his flight. So he gently lifted her suitcase to his spot on the bench, using it to rest Ally's head on. He grabbed the journal he bought her and scribbled a brief note, and placed it where she would see it. Getting up, he didn't bother to take his sweater back. Though he did take one last look at the beautiful girl in front of him, bent down, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

An hour later, Ally woke up and found herself alone. Confused, she found her journal opened to the first page.

_Hey Ally,  
__They called my flight. I'll see you the next time we're up in the air. Stay beautiful.  
__Austin_

Ally boarded on the plane with her journal securely tucked under her arms, not noticing she was also wearing his sweater. Once she did notice, she grabbed the sides of the garment and pulled it up to her face, taking in the scent of the man that made her night unforgettable.

_Maybe this holiday wasn't totally ruined,_ she thought. Ally knew she could count on Austin, her escape from the everyday. Her _escape_.


	3. I Want To Tell You

**A/N: Well crud, I'm so sorry I promised Friday (my time) and it's currently 3AM Saturday. So here it is. Thanks for the amazing feedback you guys. I am seriously speechless. And ahh I'm so happy to see familiar faces (sshaw101, Sofia13, AriRedVelvetBow and CabbieLoverSAC22) supporting me and reading my non Victorious fics :) **

**If you know me in the Victorious/Cabbie community, I like to write stories based on experience or ideas spewed out from an experience that I interpret differently. This story inspired me after I watched a few movies on flying, while I was talking to a friend about the quote 'I'd risk the fall to feel what it's like to fly' and after I once shared an entire train ride talking to this one guy and thinking, 'wow this was some meet cute. I bet if I ever saw him again it'd be fate.' But I never rode the train the same way back so it never happened. So I figured there's a story in this and my current obsession was Austin & Ally so I changed it to flying and voila, a fic. **

**CabbieLoverSAC22, this entire chapter is talking about love and their views on it. The conversations they had were pretty much what me and the mystery guy on the train had. It may not be verbatim, but the topics were just the same. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's chapter 3. The fourth and final chapter will be up tomorrow. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Spring**_

"Hey, you've been to Seattle, right?"

"Ah the city of flowers, of course!"

"What's good to eat over there?"

"You're going there soon?"

"Yeah, that's my second destination. Killing two birds with one stone on this trip. Might as well head up to Washington since I'll be in the west coast."

"Ah, my little protégé is flying efficiently," he kidded.

"Sadly, I'm succumbing to the Austin Moon lifestyle of eat, breathe, and speak work."

"It's not to bad once you get used to it."

"Wow that sounds so sad," she laughed.

"Anyways, if you're going to Seattle for the first time, I suggest you got to Geraldine's Counter. They have the lightest and fluffiest pancakes ever!"

"Of course you'd suggest a breakfast place," she giggled.

"Hey, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, missy. A man's gotta have his pancakes," he told her.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," she rolled her eyes.

* * *

Come January, the duo didn't see each other until MLK weekend. Austin and Ally picked up right where they left off.

February rolled along, meaning Valentine's day was near. Austin, being the workaholic he was, didn't even realize the holiday was even happening. Despite that he was a relatively new bachelor in the market, he didn't have time for romance these days.

So how did he spend his Valentine's day? Up in the air, on his way to Pittsburg to meet with his most recent talents, a band named R4.

He was currently boarding on a connector flight from Atlanta to JFK, which was somewhat not a surprise that he ran into his favorite brunette.

"Hey Ally, didn't expect to see you," he said as he took the seat beside her.

"Really, Austin? You didn't expect to see me on a plane? Were you even alert for the past six months?"

"No, that's not what I meant," he chuckled. "What I meant was, it's Valentine's day."

"And Happy Valentine's day to you too," she chuckled.

"Okay, Ms. Dawson, did you have a big bowl of sarcastic this morning?" he smirked.

"A girl's gotta eat!" she returned the expression.

"But seriously," he laughed. "Why are you flying on Valentine's day? Didn't you want to spend today with Dallas?"

"I am. It's only 3 PM, Austin. I still have time to make it to dinner in New York."

"My apologies," he joked. "So did Dallas plan anything romantic?"

"No. I told him I don't need the whole romantic stuff," she bluntly replied.

"That was the most enthusiastic answer ever," he kidded.

"No, no," she laughed. "I mean I do stand with my word that you don't have to over romanticize a fairy tale romance or anything. When love's there, that's all you need, right?" she explained.

"Right," he nodded.

"And Dallas tells me he loves me and everything but he doesn't do those gestures anymore. You don't have to do big gestures, but a simple gesture once in a while would be nice. Even the little things would go a long way."

"But I thought you said you don't care about that?" he was confused.

"Just because a girl says she doesn't care about the little things, doesn't mean she truly means it."

"What?! That's so confusing," he scratched his head.

"Every girl has a soft spot for romance. No matter if she's too affectionate or doesn't show much affection, she has a heart and guys just need to know that. We don't like telling our guys what to do because a real guy in love would just know."

"I will never understand women," Austin replied.

Ally hit his arm.

"Ow! Hey! Ally I get what you mean, I'm just saying, I didn't know girls cared so much. Guys already have a hard time understanding their girls half the time. This just adds on to it."

"We are all naturally pulled to affection. Romance should just come natural," she reasoned.

"True. So what are you guys doing? Staying home?"

"No, we go out to dinner at this Greek restaurant."

"Well that sounds romantic!"

"Yeah it does, but we've been doing the same thing for five years. And on every anniversary we have, not just Valentine's day. A lovely dinner, an I love you, and then it's back to a regular day."

"That's…"

"I know."

"Well, you still beat me. I'm working on Valentine's day."

"Why am I not surprised?" she rolled her eyes.

"Hurtful!"

"Well you ARE a workaholic," she pointed. "And you broke up with Cassidy. Unless… you're seeing someone?"

"Nope. I don't really have time to date. Just work. But I don't even like Valentine's day anyways."

"That's what single people say because secretly they want to spend the day with someone."

"And who are you, the love doctor?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Whether my romantic life is escalating or not, I'm a woman. Women symbolize love."

"Touché."

"Thank you," she smiled in victory.

"But still, you win this one, Ms. Dawson," he acknowledged.

"Hey, don't say that. Tell you what, for the next hour and a half I'll be your Valentine," she suggested.

"And what about your precious boyfriend, Dallas? Ally Dawson," he fake gasped, "Are you implying on an affair?"

She giggled and played along, "Oh well golly, I hope my boyfriend never finds out. This will only be a short lived tryst."

"Well alright. Since you're desperately asking me," he smirked.

"On second thought, I don't like jerks," she stuck her tongue out.

"I am offended," he grabbed his heart. "But I will reclaim my chivalrous title."

Austin dug inside backpack to fetch a few highlighters. He gathered a few yellow and pink ones and presented them in front of Ally.

"Ally Dawson," he started, "Will you be my valentine?"

Ally couldn't help but laugh at Austin's goofiness.

"Pretend these are flowers," he said.

"Ok, sure. I'd be delighted to be your valentine," she accepted her 'flowers'. She sniffed the caps and pretended to take in a beautiful smell.

"Mmm nothing smells better than nontoxic flowers," she joked.

"Well, call me Mr. Romantic," he chuckled.

The rest of the plane ride, the two laughed about their previous relationships and their favorite things about relationships. Austin for once didn't feel alone on this holiday, despite that he'd spent many of them with Cassidy. And Ally- she would never admit it to Trish or anyone, not even after her dinner with her boyfriend and when she was lying in bed at the end of the night… that the _highlight_ of her day was being Austin Moon's Valentine.

* * *

February, being the shorter month, came and went in the blink of an eye. March had arrived, meaning many people would travel to prepare for Summer. So no doubt Austin had ran into the same flight as Ally on the first day of the month.

"So, how many places do your have to travel to this month?"

"Every week I'm going to two places. My newest band, R4, is starting a Spring/Summer tour at the end of this month, so we're checking out venues and promoting the tour."

"Busy, busy, busy…"

"Tell me something I don't know," he chuckled.

"I uh, might be flying for a while too," she shared.

"Oh yeah? More than me?"

"Nobody will travel more than you, Austin. Maybe George Clooney, but not you," she stated.

"That is very true," he boasted. "What's the reason for you?"

"I finally got a chance to do a freelance piece on anything I want. But I don't know what to write about yet. So my editor told me that she'll send me off to a few places for work but also so I can get some inspiration. So hopefully I can figure out what to write about."

"I hear you. Rocky, one of the band members, writes a lot of the songs. But he's heard my old work before, that's why they signed with my company. And he wants me to write a song for them to sing as an opener for their tour."

"That's awesome, Austin!"

"Yeah it is. But I haven't written a song in years. And like you, I have no idea what to write about. I guess I'll use these business trips for some inspiration as well."

"Well flying will be good for me, that's for sure."

"Why, so you can see me more often?" he winked.

"You are just so full of yourself, aren't you?" she coyly smiled.

"What's not to love?" he flexed his muscles.

"_Ego_," she coughed.

"You know I'm only playing, Ally. I bet Dallas doesn't have a huge ego, huh?" he said.

"No he doesn't," she stated. Then she grew somber. Austin noticed this.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Dallas and I had a fight last night," she sighed.

"Oh… About what?"

"That I'm flying too much."

"But that's for your job. He should understand that."

"He does. He just doesn't see me as much anymore and it's getting hard to find time for each other."

Austin recalled the beginnings of he and Cassidy's fallout. He was scared that Ally would soon fall into that with her boyfriend.

"Ally, I'm telling you this because I'm a friend. You don't want to end up like me. I drifted apart with Cassidy that the last two years of our relationship wasn't even a relationship anymore. I can tell you love him a lot and he loves you too. So don't give up. Talk about it. If need be, take a break. But keep trying."

"We are on a break. I just didn't like the fact that we left on ugly terms. And I'm flying with all of this on my mind."

"Well, along with work, take this time for yourself. We all need alone time."

"You're right. Thanks, Austin."

"No problem. Just call me the love doctor," he bragged.

"I thought I was the love doctor?" she cocked her eyebrow.

"Then I'm the nurse. Ew no. It doesn't sound masculine enough. Can't you be the nurse?" he childishly asked.

"Nope. I'm the doctor," she crossed her arms playfully.

"But why?!" he whined.

"Because I called it first," she stuck her tongue out.

"That's a dumb rule," he grunted.

"Rules are rules, mister. And Ally D does not break them," she winked then laughed.

Austin eventually gave in, internally grateful that he finally got a smile out of Ally. She really did seem torn about it and he only ever wanted to see her happy. In the back of his mind, he wouldn't dare to admit that he wanted Ally to break up with Dallas. And he would never dare to tell her either. But he cared about her more to be happy.

They were having a great time kidding around until Ally drew back to a solemn expression.

"Why is love so complicating?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Don't look at me, you're the love doctor," he replied. But when Ally didn't laugh, he knew she was being serious.

"Even doctors don't have all the answers," she sighed.

"Well, love is a precious thing. If it were easy to attain and easy to figure out, it would lose its rarity." He felt real good about himself to come up with something like that in which he agreed to as well.

"Ugh and that's the problem. We're brought up to this idealization that love is the most powerful thing ever, but not all love lasts."

"Yeah, but just the fact that there is a possibility, isn't that enough to keep looking for it?" he tried reasoning.

"I guess. Wow, I didn't know you were such a romantic, Austin."

"I'm actually not. I just don't understand why people would go through so much trouble with a relationship only to know that there's a fifty percent chance that it won't last."

"How is it that you said love was a great thing two seconds ago, then turned the table and said love is evil?" she asked.

"I'm a romantic, but I'm also a realist," he pointed out.

"Why wouldn't you believe love doesn't exist? Love is the reason for people to wake up in the morning. Love is the happiest feeling ever. Love gives hope-"

"Look who's talking? You were doubting love one second, and now you're trying to convert me to some type of religion called love."

"Can't a person have love mood swings?" she shrugged.

"I guess. But why are you so uneasy about this? Is everything alright with you and Dallas?"

"Yeah everything's fine… It's just… why don't I feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"You know…"

"Ally I'm not a psychic. You're going to have to give me more than that."

"I don't know. The triple effect. It's like lately I'm only feeling the double effect of love with Dallas."

"You mean the spark?"

"Not necessarily… I still feel the sparks when I'm with him, but it's died down a bit since we first got together."

"Well Ally, you've been together for years. The spark always calms a bit, but if it's love it'll never fade."

"I guess you're right. So, you think your spark with Cassidy faded?"

"I don't really think it ever ignited."

"What do you mean?"

"Or so I thought it did," he said.

"Of course it did, Austin!" She raised her arms. "You two went out for years. And from what you told me, she changed you."

Did she really? I mean, okay I admit I'm taking love seriously now, but I still have doubts that the pure love out there is just too good to be true."

"Well that's what makes it that much more desirable."

"I don't know, Ally. I mean, I broke up with Cassidy thinking I can find love again, but I don't even know if what we had was love because the break up didn't hurt as much if you get what I'm saying."

"I understand. But this was a mutual thing. People fall out of love. It's natural."

"I sometimes think I was too wrapped around my newfound respect and desire for love that I placed the idea of love on the next girl I dated and tried making it work is all I'm saying. I can never be good enough and I find girls that I know aren't good enough. Why?"

"Ok, first of all, Austin any girl is lucky to have you. You're certainly good enough."

"You're just being nice."

"Which brings me to my next point, you're setting yourself at a lower standard because you're scared. There, I said it," she crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Scared?"

"Yeah. Have you ever read the book 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower?'"

"I might have… wait, nope. That was the movie," he corrected himself. Even in his little blunder Ally couldn't help but giggle.

"Remember what they said about love? That we accept the love that we think we deserve."

"That sounds familiar."

"And it's true. If we keep letting ourselves think that we'll never find anyone, then we won't. And if we settle for people who we think are our level, then what's the purpose of Love if you aren't going to find the right person, not the convenient person?"

"So do you think Dallas is the right person for you?"

"I think so… I- yeah. Of course he is. He's my right person. He's my good enough and that's all I want," she tried convincing herself. Austin was certainly not convinced.

"All you want or all you need?" he posed.

"N-need. Right?" she looked at him as if expecting him to know for her if she was right.

In the middle of this back and forth about love and romance, Austin and Ally were absentmindedly helping one another out figuring things out about how they viewed this very topic. Once one tried helping the other with advice, their advice was reflected by their own experiences. Austin had a lot to think about love and if his relationship with Cassidy or any other girl truly led him to believe if love was such a thing. Ally, on the other hand, had to reevaluate her entire relationship with Dallas because for the first time she'd admitted to someone of her doubts. Was Dallas really the right guy? Or, like Austin, was she settling because she wanted to make it work?

"So, I'll see you soon then, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll see you soon."

"And Ally," he said before they both went their separate ways.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the talk… It may be a bit confusing, but you really helped me look at things way different now."

"Same here, Austin," she smiled. "I really appreciate you letting me talk it out."

"No problem, Ally. Well I'll see you around then."

* * *

"So, how's the writing going?"

"Not so great. I still don't know what to write about. And on top of that, Dallas is trying to contact me."

"You two are still on a break?"

"Yeah. I really just want to focus on work for the next month and then I'll talk to him for sure. I thought I told him that but he's being really persistent."

"Maybe you should talk to him at least once you know? What if it's important?"

"Maybe…"

"Maybe you should write about you and Dallas. Everyone loves a good love story," Austin suggested.

"Then maybe you should write a love song. Everyone loves a good love song," she mimicked.

"Nah, there are too many love songs out there. I don't have much inspiration anyways. I want something empowering."

"Is love not empowering?" she challenged him._ A minute ago Ally was frustrated about Dallas, _Austin thought to himself. _God this woman drives me insane trying to figure her emotions out._

"Yes, love certainly is empowering. Then maybe I'll write something empowering but with a subtly of love."

"I have not idea what you mean but ok!" she cheered.

"Now if I could just get some inspiration," they simultaneously spoke. They glanced at one another and laughed. It had been a long time since they said things like this in sync and even after all this time it made them happy.

"Maybe you should write a story with like an analogy or a metaphor. God I get those two mixed up," Austin muttered.

Ally giggled as he pulled on his hair to try to figure out the difference between and analogy and a metaphor, or if there even was a difference.

"What do you think I should compare my article to? This airplane?" she playfully asked.

Austin saw it as a great idea for Ally.

"As a matter of fact, yes," he said.

"Explain," she was confused.

"There's this one quote that Cassidy loved about flying and falling and all that junk and it was basically about love. Like you feel like flying and people 'fall' in love? Oh wait… Flying… fall… falling in love… fly… Now I get the quote!" Austin cheered like he had just solved infinity.

Ally couldn't help but laugh louder than he hollered his epiphany, earning stares from other passengers.

"Austin, would you care to explain your revelation or the whole airplane concept?" Ally asked once she stopped laughing.

"It's simple," he began. "Love is like flying. Because that's the whole falling part… No wait, it made sense in my head," he began muttering to himself.

"Oh I get it," Ally had an idea. "Love is like flying, yes. You're either ready to take off or ready to land, but regardless, you're ready for love.

"Huh?" Austin was puzzled.

"You know? Takeoffs and landings? Airplane terms but a great-"

"Metaphor?"

"Analogy," she corrected.

"Damn, it was a fifty-fifty shot and I got it wrong," he chuckled; she did as well. "But continue, please."

"Well it's like you said too. Think of the taking off part of an airplane ride. It's rocky and scary if you're not experienced enough. But if you have trust and faith in it, you'll take that risk and sit through the take off. Taking off in love is not being afraid to start a new relationship."

"No, taking off is literally taking off. Like you run away even before the relationship starts because it'll just be a nightmare."

"Not every relationship is doomed for failure, Austin. That's what the landing is for. Risking the doubts in the beginning because you want to fly and you want to fall and land into love."

"Or, it can be a crash landing," he retorted.

"Ah the cynic and the hopeless romantic. We really are perfect match," Ally stated.

"I'll high five to that!" he held his hand out and she slapped it. She loved his playful side. "But I get you, Dawson. Then again, you can also see where I'm coming from at a different point of view. There's a story in there somewhere. Now you just have to find it, then write it, then publish it, then mention that I helped you in it so I'll be world famous because my names written in an article and I'll be rich and famous."

"Austin, you just have a huge imagination don't you?" she giggled.

"It's a gift," he playfully boasted.

Whether takeoffs or landings meant something good or bad or whichever meant the better part of love, little did Austin and Ally know that maybe one or both of them would take the pilot's seat and find out.

* * *

_"Attention passengers, thank you for flying with Coastal Airlines. We will be taking off in a few minutes. The seatbelt light will now turn on. There seems to be a light drizzle but the weather should be clearing up once we land in San Francisco."_

"Alright, Rocky, I'll try to work on that song tonight. I'll see you and the rest of the band in a few hours. Later." *click*

Austin was at the end of his month long quest for his band's tour that was coming up in a few days. He had been busier than usual, but still had time to attempt to pen out that song R4 had asked him to write. Though admittedly he still had no idea what to write.

Ally had slowly gotten used to the constant traveling, though she did find some time to go home in between. She had met up with Austin only twice at the beginning of the month, which to them wasn't as much as they thought they'd see one another now that Ally would be flying more. Nevertheless, they enjoyed the two instances they met and were excited to see each other after a month of nothing. Since they met, one month was the longest they'd been without seeing one another (Christmas to MLK was a close second at three weeks).

"Ally Dawson, I feel like it's been forever!" Austin exclaimed.

"Just thirty days, Austin," she rolled her eyes.

"Thirty days, more like three hundred! This is an outrage!" he mocked anger.

"Oh calm down and sit, unless you want to sit else where," she said.

"Nope, that chair is mine," he plopped down at the seat beside her and they both smiled.

"Where are you going this time?" he asked.

"San Francisco."

"For work?"

"Yep. You? Well obviously for work, right?" she laughed.

"Yes and no. San Francisco for a connector flight back to LA. I'm going home for two days before their start their tour. It'll be going for about three months so we'll be all over the place."

"That's awesome!"

"Are you done with flying or did you get used to it?"

Pretty much done after next week. And as many times as I'll fly, I'll never get used to the turbulence," she stated.

"Well, to me you're doing a great job not noticing," he said as a matter of fact.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not tense," he stated.

"Huh-"

_"Attention passengers, the seatbelt light will now turn off. Thank you for your cooperation. We will arrive in San Francisco in about an hour and a half."_

Ally realized Austin distracted her from the takeoff. She realized that every flight she had with him she hadn't noticed her takeoff. There was just something about Austin that distracted her from her fears.

"Thanks, Austin," she blushed.

"No problem," he shrugged.

"So…" he started.

"So…?" she asked.

"Uh… how… are you?" he didn't want to touch on the romance subject too soon, but he really wanted to know if Ally was alright. He did care for her after all. Probably more than he should for a friend, but to Austin, Ally was a special friend.

"I'm fine? Thank you?" she more asked than answered.

"That's good but I mean like… how have you been since the last time we spoke about… things… or people?"

"Oh," Ally got the hint. She suddenly grew nervous.

"Are you ok?" Austin asked her.

"Um yeah, actually. I'm uh, I'm doing great."

"Oh well that's nice to hear," he was slightly relieved.

Yet he still wanted to know if she talked it out with her boyfriend. He figured not to beat around the bush any longer and simply ask her.

"So, how'd it go with Dallas?"

Ally stayed quiet for a second trying to muster up courage or words to answer him. Because what she was about to say next caught Austin way off guard.

"He uh… he asked me to marry him."


	4. Jump Then Fall

**A/N: Final Chapter! This is a long one. Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Summer_**

"You know I never pegged you as a rose kind of girl. I mean yeah, you're a hopeless romantic, but roses are too obvious."

"Oh Trish, you know me so well," she smiled at her best friend's observation.

"Well duh, we've known each other since we were in kindergarten."

"So do you know my favorite flower?"

"Uh… Lilies?"

"Close. Lilacs."

"Oh my gosh, lilacs are much prettier than roses. Why don't we check those out?"

"Because Dallas' mother likes roses and she has three sons. So I thought I'd let her have a say in my wedding."

"That's the only say she gets, right? She's not going to turn into a crazy mother in law?"

"No, she's a sweetheart. Everyone in Dallas' family is nice. I wouldn't be marrying him if I they weren't nice.

"I thought it doesn't matter about anyone so long as the bride and groom are happy?" she quipped an eyebrow.

"Um, I don't remember getting my fortuned told for me. I asked you to be my maid of honor, so come on, honor your maidness," she joked.

"Alright all right, let's see what else we've got on this list," Trish said digging out her notepad. They spent the rest of the afternoon doing wedding preparations.

"So… Have you talked to him yet?" Trish asked as she was driving Ally to the airport. Trish decided to fly to New York and stay with Ally for three months so she can help her out with wedding details as much as she could. Ally was forever grateful because despite that she was preparing for the happiest day of her life; she still had a job to go to in the morning.

"Not since our last flight together."

"When was that?"

"Like two weeks ago."

"Wait, so you haven't seen him since you told him?"

"I haven't been flying. And… I'm kind of avoiding it."

"Why are you avoiding it?"

"I don't know. Like am I even allowed to talk to him about my wedding that he's not invited to?"

"Why wouldn't you invite him?" Trish casually asked.

"Because… How would I explain him to everyone?"

"Ally, he's just a friend, not like a secret boyfriend. That's all you have to say," Trish reasoned. "Unless… you have something you need to tell me?" she joked.

Ally giggled. "No. You're right. But wait, do you think he'd think it'd be weird to invite him?"

"You over think things way too much, Alls. Just ask him. If he doesn't want to go then that's that… But if he does, tell him to bring his newest band, R4. They have such great music!" Trish squealed.

"Huh, I should listen to them sometime," Ally said. "He's actually in the process of writing a song for them."

"Shut up! If he gives you a sneak peak, record it and I will love you forever!" Trish exclaimed.

"Ok, ok! But please keep both hands on the wheel. I need to make it to Denver before 5," Ally joked.

"Calm down, woman. We're here." Trish pulled up to the drop-off zone at the JFK. Ally had a quick trip to Denver for a day. A normal bride would flip out that she'd have to leave for a day or two when her wedding was in a few months, but Ally had Trish. And Trish knew how to manage things. As Ally would say, Trish could plan a yearlong project in a month.

"All right so I'll call you once I land again tomorrow."

"Ally, please talk to him."

"What makes you think I'm going to see him?"

"You always do."

"Not alwa-"

"Ally?!" a voice from another car said.

"Oh my god is that-"

"Bye Trish," Ally slammed the door shut and walked over to her blonde friend.

"Hey it is you!" He exclaimed. "Business trip?"

"Unfortunately," she smiled.

"I don't even have to ask if we're going on the same flight so lets just head to Gate C," he said as her took his and Ally's suitcases and rolled them in.

"Unbelievable. We're both going to Denver," she giggled.

"You know, by now I'd think you'd understand that we're always headed towards the same place," he smirked.

They walked to their gate and surprisingly didn't have to wait too long to board on the plane to take their seats.

"So how long are you going to be in Denver?"

"Just for the day, I leave in the morning. What about you?"

"Connector flight to LAX."

"Going home again? Wow, this is a lot of times."

"I know right? Well the band already started their tour but luckily for me their second week is back in California so I can drop by my home for a day and get some work done at my office."

"Work? I thought all you do is manage your talent?"

"I do. But remember the song?"

"I was actually just thinking about that song of yours. Are you almost done?"

"Depends on your definition of almost…"

"Oh my god. You haven't even written it yet, have you?"

"It's hard to write a song when you haven't written one in years," he defended.

"What am I going to do with you, Austin Moon?" she shook her head and laughed.

"You can write me a song," he suggested.

"I write stories, not poems."

"It's the same thing. Come on, Ally, please?" he begged.

"Puppy dog eyes won't work with me, Austin," she stuck her tongue out.

"Fine," he pouted. Then he bounced in his seat. Ally never understood that about him.

"So, how's the article coming along, anyway?"

"It's… getting there. There's just so much to do with the wedding and my job and-"

Ally abruptly paused. She didn't mean for the wedding part to slip, but she said it and couldn't take it back.

"Oh. So, how's the preparation going for that? You excited?"

"Yeah, just a bit stressed since it's in less than three months."

"Why so soon? You're not pregnant are you?" Austin wondered.

"No, I'm not," Ally smacked his arm. "It's just, Dallas got a new job and it's in Texas so we're moving there after the wedding. That way our family won't have to travel to Texas since they all live in the East Coast."

"Makes sense," Austin nodded in understanding.

"Uh… You know… if you… uh… want… you could…. Uh…"

Austin waited.

"You uh… you could… um…"

"Ally," he startled her.

"Do-you-want-to-come-to-my-wedding?" she breathed.

"Oh… uh…" now it was his turn.

"Look, Austin. You're a friend. I hope you know that. So it'd feel weird not to invite you to my wedding if we talk about it on our flights. I know we didn't meet in the most conventional way, and I haven't really told anyone about you… but… well, I'd be happy if you could come." She took out an envelope from her purse and handed it to him.

"You're a friend to me too, Ally," he smiled. "And I can't make any promises, but I'll see if I can make it."

She breathed a sigh of relief, not even realizing she was holding in a breath.

"Oh, and my friend Trish said you got to bring R4 with you."

"Oh, I get it. You're inviting me because you want me to bring the entertainment?" he joked.

"That's exactly why I'm inviting you," she giggled.

Ally was happy that this cloud of awkwardness was just in her head and that she had nothing really to worry about… at least on the surface. She still enjoyed that she could go from grave to buoyant in seconds with Austin. That she never kept a frown for more than a few minutes. Like she said before, he's her escape from the everyday. And she was to him because he didn't know how many more concerts he'd have to go through with this band. He loved them like his own family, but bands were so much different than solo artists. When he flew with Ally, just being surrounded by each other's presence was all he needed.

* * *

"I don't know why Ashley asked me to fly out of the state just to write this article."

"Because you need time to think about what to write. And don't worry. I'm sure you'll find some soon. Wouldn't want to pass up this opportunity right?"

"Right. If only I knew what to write." Ally was currently sitting in a plane awaiting a flight for Texas. Even though this was a business trip for an editorial piece, Ally figured she could kill two birds with one stone since she and Dallas needed to go house searching in Texas. So she hopped on a plane two weeks before her wedding, leaving it all in the hands of her best friend, which of course Trish had under control like a well-oiled machine.

"I don't know. Write what you know," Trish suggested on the phone.

"I know a lot of things."

"Ugh, I know. You're like the smartest girl ever."

"Then why don't I know what to write about?" Ally pouted.

"Why don't you write about love? Since you're getting married and you know how weddings are all about that lovey-dovey stuff might as well murder three birds with one stone and call it a day."

"Not if it were three crows. They'd be murdering me," Ally laughed.

"I don't get it," Trish said.

"Oh gosh, never mind," Ally blushed in embarrassment. Though she didn't know why she'd be embarrassed when she was talking to Trish on the phone and no one was sitting next to her. "But yeah. That's been a topic thrown out there. Maybe I'll just write about that."

_"Attention passengers, we will be taking off in about ten minutes."_

"Well, there's my cue. I'll see you in a few days, girl. Bye." *click*

_"Thank you for flying with Coastal Airlines."_

"Do you ever wonder if they get tired of saying that?" a familiar voice said as she spun around to see who had sat next to her.

"Do you ever get tired of being a workaholic?" she countered.

"Do you ever get tired of being super smart?" he tried to retort.

"Nope," she smiled in victory.

"I shouldn't be the one talking though. It's what, only a few more weeks until you're big day and you're flying? Who's the workaholic now?" he smirked.

"And when was the last time you were back in your own bed at your own home, in LA?" she challenged.

"Ok, ok. You win this round, Dawson," he joked.

"Hey Austin?" she suddenly grew serious.

"Yeah?"

"Am I doing the right thing? Marrying Dallas? I mean, I've doubted us before, what makes me think that I won't doubt us again?" she sighed.

"Ally, you've known the guy for so long. There's got to be love that's holding on. From what I know, Dallas is good for you. Don't be scared to break down your walls for him. You're going to be happy. I promise," he said.

"Thanks, Austin," she sincerely smiled. He always knew what to say.

* * *

"So you told her to get married? Dude you really are an idiot aren't you?

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No I don't."

"So you're saying you're writing that song about another girl?"

"Writing a song? Dude, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not writing a love song. I haven't even written one word so before you go and accuse my feelings, would care to explain to me why I'm an idiot?"

"Dude, I can't just be spoon feeding you everything all the time. Especially this. When you know, you know."

"Huh?" Austin was utterly confused.

"Ok that's enough procrastinating. Get to work on that not love song of yours and tell your band to have a concert in Florida so I can see my best friend again!"

"Will do, Dez. I'll talk to you later, bro." *click*

Austin leaned back in his office chair, legs outstretched, feet crossed and resting on his desk. He stared at the empty pad of paper in front of him and started tapping on his pen.

Nothing. He didn't have a melody, a note, a word. Nothing.

He tapped on his pen again, zoning out the rest of the world for a second.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He picked up his pen and placed it on his notepad.

He lost the thought.

Pen still in hand, he brought it up to his face and tapped the butt of it on his chin.

"Hmm," he sighed. Then he stopped. He felt an aroma, something oddly familiar.

Then he realized the pen he was holding was the pen that Ally had given him for Christmas. _Maple Syrup,_ he thought. _Great, now I want pancakes! _

Out of nowhere Austin chuckled to himself. He remembered this one time Ally saw him eat pancakes for the first time on a morning flight together. She was so amazed that he inhaled a stack of four in two minutes. He loved making her laugh. It brought her comfort. He could tell. She was always trying to keep her composure, but he always loved when he was able to break through to her and they'd laugh the rest of the flight. Those were his favorite memories. And maybe great enough to be… an inspiration.

**Ally**

"So, he practically pushed you to Dallas?"

"Yeah. I mean I was silly to think that, right? It's really just a petty crush, heck maybe even cold feet. Dallas is good for me."

"But wouldn't you rather have someone great?"

**Austin**

"Nice song, bro."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, and you wrote it all in an hour?"

"Just finished writing a minute before I called."

"Wow, these lyrics. Ally must be some girl…"

**Ally**

"Dallas _is_ great."

"No, you said Dallas is good. There's a difference."

**Austin**

"It's not a love song, Dez."

"That's what you say, but read between the lines, bro."

**Ally**

"Well now I'm saying he's great. Come on, Trish. Don't mess with my mind."

"I'm not intentionally messing with your mind. But for the record, if you're still confused just days before your wedding, doesn't that mean something?"

"It means nothing. Maybe just stress. It's a common thing, Trish."

"Ok fine, it may be common, but then explain this…" she handed her a magazine. The two were on the way to the airport for Ally to take a last minute trip.

"That's my article. So what?"

"Tell my why you're marrying Dallas when you wrote about Austin."

**Austin**

"Dude, this is a song about being fearless. Not about love. It's empowering."

"Is not love fearless?"

"Dude, Dez you need to stop watching all those romance movies."

"If you don't believe me then show the song to Rocky and see what he thinks."

"The band is grateful that I'm even writing a song for them because I retired from writing. I told him I was going to write an empowering song, not a love song."

**Ally**

"This is not about Austin, Trish."

"And yet you're not telling me it's about Dallas…"

"Just because I didn't say that you don't think that he was inspiration to write my article? I mean, it is about love…"

"Exactly. And if you were marrying a guy, you wouldn't have written 'I could have seen forever with him, but we went our separate ways'. Care to explain that?"

**Austin**

"Alright, fine man. Maybe I just read it wrong. I guess when you told me that Ally's pen inspired you that I jumped to conclusions."

"Thanks, man. But I appreciate that you like the song regardless. Listen, I got to go. The band's got a gig in Miami in a few days. Want to come?"

"Uh duh! I get to see my best friend!"

"Haha, alright man, I'll see you in a few days."

"Later, bro." *click* "That song was totally about Ally," Dez chuckled to himself.

**Ally**

"Ok," she heavily sighed. "Maybe most of my inspiration came more from Austin than anything else, but whether it's written in paper or not, I'm getting married."

"Then call it off."

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?"

Ally stepped out of the car once Trish pulled up to the drop off zone.

"Whether I see him or not on this flight, he'll never know how I feel and I'll never know either. Like I said, we could have a forever, but at the end of the flight we always go our separate ways. I'll see you in a few days. Wow, next time we see each other, I'll be hours away from being a married woman!"

"Bye, Ally. Have a safe trip," Trish chuckled. Seeing her best friend disappear into the building, Trish just had a gut feeling that Ally was making a huge mistake.

* * *

_"Attention passengers. We'll be departing to JFK in ten minutes. Thank you for flying with Coastal Airlines."_

Finally, Ally was finished with her business trips. At least for a while. After her wedding her editor negotiated with Ally to work remotely from Texas and still fly around whenever she needed Ally to. Of course, Ally agreed because after her article, she was allowed to write whatever she wanted.

Ally settled in her seat and was anxious for take off. Just then her phone rang.

"Hey Ash. What's up?"

"Just wanted to say hi to my favorite writer. How did the event go?"

"Fabulous, of course!" Ally giggled. "That book is just really popular."

"Yeah… speaking of popular. I know this is a long shot, and I know it's like your wedding in 36 hours, but I might have to ask you a huge favor…"

"Like what?" Ally was skeptical.

"Well since you're in the air, I was thinking you can drop by Philadelphia for a last minute book event. It'll only be two hours and I can get you on the next flight back to JFK right after. You'll be home by 10 PM. That gives you 16 hours to get ready for your wedding," her editor said like she carefully devised that plan.

"I don't know, Ashley. That's pushing it."

"It's ok. It was worth a shot. You really don't need to feel bad. I can just ask Jen to go since she's coming in today."

"Well maybe I'll think about it. I'll talk to Trish to see if everything is going smooth so maybe I'll go. But I'm leaning towards a no..."

"That's better than nothing. Well have a safe trip back!"

"Alright see ya." *click*

Once Ally hung up her phone, the seatbelt signal came on. Ally learned those times that she didn't fly with Austin that music would calm her down. Unfortunately, Ally realized a few days back that she had grabbed Trish's myPod and only had her best friends songs to listen to. At least she and Trish had a few genre likings in common. Ally took her friend's mp3 player out and hit shuffle. Call it coincidence or just plain random, but R4 was the first band that popped up in the playlist. But Ally was too tired to care. So she listened to their album anyways.

After listening to the seven songs on their EP, she noticed another song, a single that Trish added. She had never heard it before so she selected it and hit play.

**_Woah, Yeah  
__Stop, hiding out in the shadows  
__Scared to show the world you exist  
__Don't, lock yourself in the darkness  
__The world is so much brighter than this  
__Ya if you never take the shock  
__You never gonna win  
__So turn it all around and  
_**

**_Break down the walls, Woah  
__Don't be afraid to let them fall  
__Break down the walls, Woah  
__And you can dare to have it all  
__Come on and give it everything you can  
__Take a chance, make a stand and  
__Break, break, break down walls_**

**_Change you can find it inside  
__Think you don't have the strength that it takes  
__Oh and truth, you can twist it resist it  
__Or finally look it straight in the face  
__'Cause if you never take the shock  
__You never gonna win  
__So Find a way somehow…_**

Ally couldn't help but be drawn to this song. It was so raw and empowering, but she felt something more. Something she couldn't put her finger on. She decided to look up the credits to the song, hoping to find some background information on the song meaning. What she found certainly made her feel something all right.

Break Down the Walls by R4. Written by Austin Moon.

* * *

**_Break down the walls, Woah  
__Don't be afraid to let them fall  
__Break down the walls, Woah  
__And you can dare to have it all  
__Come on and give it everything you can  
__Take a chance, make a stand and  
__Break, break, break down walls_**

**_Go on and watch them tumble down  
__Feel all the doubt just crumble now  
__And let the light come pouring in_**

"Wow man, that seriously is a great song," Dez said to Austin backstage as R4 sang his latest song.

"Thanks, man," he smiled.

"Thank you everyone. That last song was written by our awesome manager, Austin Moon!" Rocky announced. The crowd remembered Austin and cheered extremely loud. This made Austin smile hugely.

"Austin Moon's still got it," Dez high-fived his best friend.

"Since we're in the love song mood, how about we slow it down for you? We're going acoustic for our next song. This one's called Voice on the Radio," Rydel, the only female band member announced. She sat on the stool and the other guys gathered acoustic instruments.

**_"Last night I fell in love with a stranger…"_**

"So Austin," Dez said to his friend, they were still back stage. "Do you still believe that the song you wrote was for Ally?"

"I told you a million times already, Dez. It's not about her."

"But you have to admit now that it's a love song."

"Says the two thousand people and four band members out there right now."

"Ok fine, it's… partially a love song. But that doesn't change things. She's getting married tomorrow."

"But what makes you think she didn't like you back?" That said, Dez handed Austin a magazine. "Here. Read it."

It was Ally's magazine article. She never told Austin it got published. Internally he was proud that she finally got her article out, a full cover story and all. He smiled to himself when he read the title and first few paragraphs:

_Takeoffs & Landings  
__By A. Dawson_

_When you go on a trip, are you going home, going for business, or going for a quick escape? Even if it's just when you're up in the air, you're great escape can be sitting right next to you. That's exactly the journey that I've recently experienced. Though it's a journey I'm soon regretting…_

Austin scanned the article, catching block quotes here and there.

_He was the only person that had ever challenged my routine ways. He saw me bigger than what I gave myself credit for. He broke down my walls and I finally felt free._

It was about him. He knew it was about him. He didn't have to second-guess.

_It was a magical thing, being up in the air, not ever having to think about life on the ground because we had our own little world in the sky. We didn't feel the stress or the pains of our daily lives. But in the end, every time we'd depart, it hurt more than anything I've ever imagined. And I realized that a little too late._

_Austin prepared for the worse. He felt it coming; it was inevitable, but he continued reading._

_Our relationship was familiarity mixed with excitement. Though there was one thing I knew when I started to fall for him. That the love I felt was cathartic. I was happiest talking to him, and I couldn't help but feel safe at his touch… But I pushed him away…_

_No, Ally. I pushed you away! _Austin told himself.

_We talked about love and how we related it to flying – taking off and landing. Though our ideas to both concepts were different, it all meant the same thing; in the beginning, love presents its risk. You're either crazy in love and want to start the relationship, or your run away even before it can begin. And at the end, that landing can either be soft or bumpy. But only those in love will risk that fall to feel what its like to fall… and only the lucky would land. But you've got to find that right person first._

_I could be sitting next to the love of my life, but I chose the safe route. _

Did I choose the safe route too? Austin asked himself. He stopped reading for a moment to check out how the band was doing. Rydel was singing the song perfectly.

**_"I never saw it coming, the way a voice can make me feel  
__And I fear that I am falling"_**

"You still think that Ally should be with Dallas?"

"I think that he and Ally deserve to try the future together. They've been together for so long."

"But feeling something for a girl and depriving yourself to even getting a chance to tell her is ok?" Dez questioned.

**_"So here I stand fighting what I feel for you  
__Torn between what reason says and how I really feel  
__And here I stand, wondering what to say to you  
__Hoping that you feel the same, the same as I do…"_**

Austin listened to Rydel singing that song, and all he could think about was all the times her told Ally to break down her walls, to not be afraid to do things outside of her comfort zone. To just be herself. And that helped him be himself too. It really was a love song. More importantly, it was about Ally.

He glanced back down at the magazine in his hand and saw one of the last things she wrote.

_The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back. _

And with that quote and the song that was being sung, Austin's true feelings had finally surfaced. It was time for him to break down his walls and take that chance. She deserved a grand gesture and he hoped to give it.

"Hey man. Can you take me somewhere?"

* * *

"Wow, Austin, I would have never imagined you of all people to be the one doing a crazy thing like this," Dez said on the phone.

"She's always wanted a romantic gesture. Even if she would never admit it," he chuckled.

"What are you now, the love doctor?" Dez joked.

"You have no idea," Austin laughed, thinking back on those conversations he had with Ally.

"Are you sure she's the one?"

"Well… when you know you know, right?"

_"Attention passengers. We will be taking off to JFK in just a moment. The seatbelt sign will now turn on. Thank you for flying with Coastal Airlines."_

The very second Austin's plane landed, he sprinted out of the terminal and ran to the taxi line. Frustrated at first to have to wait in a long line, Austin utilized the time to figure out what he'd say to Ally when he'd find her.

Contemplating his thoughts, he was brought back to reality when a rather large reunion was happening in front of him and everyone in the taxi line at the pick up zone.

"Mike! Sara! So glad you guys could make it," the three individuals embraced.

"Well it's not everyday that you're best friend and cousin is getting married, you know. And to your girlfriend of almost ten years?" Mike, Austin assumed, said.

"Then again, Mike, it wasn't a surprised when Dallas told us he proposed to Ally," Sara replied.

_Dallas. _

"You guys are just jealous because you've never been in love for so long," Dallas boasted.

"Yeah well, I don't think I know anyone who's been together this long and haven't been married yet," Mike joked.

"Well, tomorrow that'll all change. Ally will be part of the family officially!" Sara cheered.

"Seriously, man. I'm getting married tomorrow," Dallas was in disbelief. But something in his smile made Austin double think about what he was doing.

Once Dallas and his cousins drove off, Austin stepped out from the taxi line and went back inside to the airport. He found a bench, slumped down, and buried his hands in his face.

*ring ring*

*ring ring*

"Yeah?" he carelessly answered his phone.

"Oh, hey Austin. Were you sleeping?" Dez said on the other line.

Austin stayed quiet for a moment, letting everything sink in before answering.

"I couldn't do it," he blurted.

"What do you mean? Where are you?"

"JFK. I got here probably 20 minutes ago."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go find her and stop the wedding!"

"No, Dez. Listen to me, I sort of ran into Dallas and I just couldn't do it."

"You talked to him?"

"Not really. But I did hear him tell his family how much he loves her and I just can't do that to him or to Ally. They've been together for so long. It wouldn't be fair to cause a scene in front of Ally or her family."

"But, you two are supposed to be together. I just know it."

"She's going to be happy with Dallas," was all Austin said. Dez knew not to go further with it.

"Why don't you just take some time off for yourself. Go back home for a few days, or you can crash at my place. I'm sure the guys will understand and they can handle a few concerts on their own."

"If I go home I'll just feel extremely lonely. But then again, I don't really want to be around anyone right now. No offense, bro."

"It's understandable. Go disappear for a few days. I know you've been to like a million places, but there's got to be a place you haven't been to yet or at least want to go to."

"You're right. Thanks man. I'll call you tomorrow if it's not a bother to get me whenever I come back."

"No problem. Take care, buddy."

*click*

Austin tucked his phone in his pocket and stood in front of the destination board. He stared at these places – Madison, Jacksonville, St Paul, Honolulu – and wondered how all these people flew for several things; many for a purpose, usually for business. Until recently, he was one of those people, going day in and day out to a new destination, but not for himself. He never had a true reason to fly until today. The problem was, he was at his destination, his reason was getting married, and he couldn't do anything about it.

* * *

"Alright so I booked a flight and I'll see you when I get back."

"Definitely. I'll pick you up once you get back."

"God thanks Trish. I seriously don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know, I'm awesome," Trish bragged on the phone.

"Oh hey, before I forget, I have your myPod and I think you have mine?"

"Yeah. I noticed when I turned it on and a Queen song played."

"Hey, oldies are awesome," Ally defended.

"Yeah, but new songs are great too."

"Yeah, they are," Ally sighed. Even on the phone, Trish noticed.

"Hey are you ok?"

"I heard the song…"

"What song?"

"R4's newest song. He wrote it."

"That's the one he wrote?! Oh my God that song is amazing! Wait… that song is about you…" Trish realized. "Still thinking about him?"

"Unfortunately."

"Oh… Ally…"

"I'm fine, Trish…"

"It's going to be ok, girl. You're doing the right thing."

"I sure hope so. Hey about the guest list-"

"Yes, Alls, don't worry I've got everything under control. Just take your trip and I'll see you when you get back."

Ally boarded on the plane and took a seat in the front of the business first class cabin. Normally she'd sit in the back, but lately she'd been flying by herself and sitting in the back felt so isolating. Though midway through the flight, her change was short lived when an elderly man boarded and asked anyone if they could give up a front seat for him. Ally, being her kind self, volunteered her seat.

"Thank you, miss," the stewardess said.

"No problem," Ally replied. She turned around and noticed a packed plane. "Do you see any empty seat?" She asked.

"He sat in the very back," the stewardess informed her.

_Darn_ _it, I wanted to try a new seat, _she thought. _Oh well._

Reaching the back row, they met eye-to-eye.

Shock wasn't even the word to begin to explain both of their expressions.

"Uhh… sit, please," he said.

She sat down and tried internally calming herself.

It was quiet for a moment, until he spoke up first.

"Heading home?"

"No"

"Business trip?"

"N-no."

"Vacation?"

No."

"Where else is there to go?" he nervously chuckled.

"Sometimes you just want to escape from it all, you know?" she sheepishly replied.

"You're my escape," he turned to her.

"And I'm ok with that," she met his gaze.

"No, Ally. You're more than just being 'away from it all'. You're my escape from my brooding past. My escape from emptiness, loneliness, heartbreak."

"Austin…"

"And if what I feel about you has any effect over your feelings towards me, at least I'll know that I took the chance to take off this time, even if I don't know if it's a sure landing." He took a deep breath and confessed everything. "I took the first flight here to find you and tell you that you were making a huge mistake marrying Dallas. That he's not the right guy for you. I may not be the right guy or who knows, maybe I am. But I needed to find out. I'm really sorry, Ally. I didn't mean to mess up your wedding."

"No need to apologize, Austin," she informed him.

He then realized something.

"Wait, why are you flying? You're supposed to get married tomorrow."

"I _was_ on a business trip."

"Wow, I am a terrible influence on you," he chuckled. There was the comedic timing she adored from him. She sadly smiled. She was happy that he was expressing his feelings, but in the mess they were in, he couldn't have picked the perfect time.

"And I should be, but I'm kind of taking a last minute trip. I guess taking off is what I feel like I do the best," she admitted. "But I'm always blinded by the rough landing. Flying was the best part because I didn't have to land. And I was flying with you."

Austin smiled at that thought.

"But… I realized that isn't enough."

Too soon, his smile faltered.

"Ally, I'm so-"

"It's not enough because I want to land. I want to feel your touch, because when I feel you, I know I'm safe."

"Wait, Ally, what are you saying?" he asked.

"Right before I boarded the plane," she began, "I… I called off the wedding."

It was then that Austin knew at that moment they felt the same for one another. But just so she would know, he wouldn't miss another chance to tell her.

"Ally Dawson, I think I'm in love with you," he flashed a lopsided grin.

"I think I'm in love with you too, Austin Moon," she giggled.

As they were about to lean in, a breath away from their lips touching, the speaker turned on.

_"Attention passengers, we will be landing in Chicago in a few short minutes. The seatbelt light will turn on."_

_Ally broke their passionate gaze and on cue she began to tense up._

"Nervous?"

"Just a little."

He intertwined their hands. "Don't be."

She turned to look at him.

"Don't be afraid to take off and fly. Because when you fall, I'll be there to catch you," he told her.

"Promise?" she asked.

He leaned in. "Promise." And like he always did, he distracted the love of his life from the turbulence by kissing her all the way until they landed.

"So, we're in Chicago," he said as they made their way to the lobby.

"Yeah. Finally, right?" she joked.

"Seriously."

They reached the taxi line and waited for a cab to take up to their tower.

"Excited to see the view?"

"Kind of," she replied. "I'm just happy you're with me."

"Me too," they smiled at each other.

After about ten minutes, they reached the front of the line. A cab was pulling up, but neither Austin nor Ally moved.

"You guys need a cab?" the attendant in the front asked.

One look at each other and they both understood each other.

"No, I think we've decided something else," Austin told the attendant and they walked back inside.

Ally thought it was a perfect time for them to call their friends to let them know what was up.

**Austin**

"Wow, dude. It's like a romance movie. You start all over in the place where it all began."

"Dude you are such a romantic sap."

"Like I haven't rubbed off on you Mister I'm going to run away with the love of my life for a few weeks so we can start our magical lives together."

"Oh God," Austin chuckled. "But seriously, I'm the luckiest guy alive."

**Ally**

"Aw, Ally that's so romantic! But If you two elope and I am not there, you are going to come home to a very angry maid of honor slash best friend."

"Relax, Trish. We're not eloping. We're just going to spend some time together. And tanks again for cancelling everything for me. You're seriously the best."

**Austin**

"Why aren't you guys going to the tower again? You two dreamed of going there and now that you're there, you don't want to?"

"Well when you feel like you're on top of the world when you're with the right person, nothing really can compare," he admitted.

"Who's the romantic sap, now?" Dez laughed.

**Ally**

"I'm just glad you're finally happy and finally with the right guy."

"Yeah, he is great, isn't he?" she smiled at Austin while he was on his phone too.

"See, you said 'great'. This guy is the one. It's fate, Ally."

"It certainly is, Trish. It certainly is."

Once they hung up their phones, the lovebirds embraced, reassuring one another that they finally had each other. Walking hand in hand, unsure about the coming months but sure about one thing - the person they were standing next to - they stood at the destination board. She turned to the man she took a chance on. He turned back and smiled at the one girl he'd devote his life to.

"So, where to?" she asked him. He smiled at her.

"Anywhere you're going."

**_The End._**

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's all folks. My first published A&A fic. Not too shabby? Thanks to my friends from Victorious who went over to A&A to read this and thank you to all A&A and other readers who gave this story a chance. I like the show and I hope I'm welcomed in this community to publish more A&A fics because I already have plenty. Thanks for the feedback. I don't expect them at all and when I get them it makes my day. I'm kind of at LAX right now (coincidence?) so when I get the chance, I do want to respond to every review.**

**I like to do this thing where I'd create a soundtrack of songs that I listened to while writing. Sometimes I'll title the chapters as the songs, other times I don't. So if anyone was wondering where I got my inspiration, here are the songs I used: When Will I See You Again – Three Degrees; Airplanes - B.O.B.; I Want To Tell You – The Beatles; Jump Then Fall - Taylor Swift ; Bonus songs from ch 4 - Break Down the Walls from A&A and Voice on the Radio - Marie Digby. yeah I know, my playlist is random.**

**Until my next A&A fic... Later gators!**


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